Apparatus for recovering from oil its tarry or asphaltic constituents, with gas as a by-product.



No. 889,940. PATENTED JAN. 1, 190?. L. P. LOWE.

APP ARATUs PORRBGOVERING FROM OIL ITS TARRY OR ASPHALTIG GONSTITUENTS WITH GAS AS A BY-PRODUGT.

APPLICATION FILED JUL! 6, 19M.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1 W// ,.ES.SES W VEN TOR U W I ATTOfiA/Er ENTED JAN.1, 190?.

2 SHEETS-SHEETZ JO 0 m No. 839,940. PAT

L. P. LOWE. APPARATUS FOR RECOVERING PROM OIL ITS TARRY 0R ASPHALTIC UDNSTITUBNTS WITH GAS AS A BY-PRODUGT.

APPLICATION II-LED JUL! 6.1904.

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LEON P. LOWE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FOR RECOVERING FROM OIL ITS TARRY 0R ASPHALTIC CONSTITUENTS, WITH GAS AS A BY-PRODUCT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 1, 1907.

Application filed July 6. 1904. Serial No. 215,546-

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, Leon P. Lows, a citizen of the United States, residing at San My invention relates to an improved apparatus for refining oil and recovering gas as a by-product.

In certain cases it may be the more profitable treatment of the oil to recover there-- from the asphaltic or other tarry constituents derivable from the oil in as pure a state as possible and in the best condition for use, the generation of hydrocarbon gas therefrom being merely a by-product.

The present apparatus has the above object.

In the accompanyin drawings, Fi ure 1 is a vertical section on t e line A A 0 Fig. 2, the upper part of the scrubber being shown in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the apparatus, certain parts being omitted. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line B B, one of the stoves being shown in side elevation. Fig. 4 is a plan view of this portion of the a paratus, "part being shown in horizontaI section.

Referrin to the drawings, 1 re )resents a distillin -dl1amber, provided wit looselyiled refractory material 2, as lire-brick. It

as a coinbustion-chambcr 3, into which fuel may be introduced to intermittently heat the refractory material. The products of combustion pass out at the top through one or the other of two passages 4, each controlled by a valve 5 and leading to a downwardlyextending flue 6, which enters at the bottom of a stove 7, having loosely-piled refractor material 8 therein. These stoves 7 also bot communicate b the short horizontal portions 36 of the ues 6 and also by bent passages 9, controlled by valves 10, of. any common'form used for this purpose, with the combustion-chamber 3 of the distillingchamber.

11 represents smoke-stacks through which the products of combustion can esca e from thestoves, and 12 represents valves or controlling the passages into the smoke-stacks.

Inlets 13, controlled by valves 14, are provided for adnliittin air to the spoves. l

15 is an oi su y i e or eedin oi to the top of the disIIflindhamber 1. g

40 represents an oil-supply pipe to the combustion-chamber 3.

16 is a conduit leading to a seal 17, opening into the bottom of a condensing-chamber 18, having vertical fiues 19 therein surrounded by a body of water between heads 20 21.

22 is an overflow-pipe from the bottom of the condensing-chamber 18, discharging into a receptacle 23. 24 is a conduit leading from the top of said condensing-chamber to a second condenser 25, precisely similar to the first, and 26 is a conduit leading from said second condenser to a washer 27 at the bottom of a scrubber 28. 29 is an outlet from said scrubber leading to a gas-holder. (Not shown.) I

30 is an overflow-pipe from the bottom of the scrubber discharging into a receptacle 31.

32 represents water connections for conducting the Water through the condensingchambers in the opposite direction to the gas.

The object of providing the two stoves is to fully utilize the heat of combustion of the fuel. In this process the refractory material in the distilling-chamber 1 is not heated to so high. a degree as to break down any. of the gaseous products of the oil into solid hydrocarbons or lampblack, while high enough to convert the light volatile parts of the oil into fixed gases. Therefore much of the heat values would be lost unless rovision were made for saving the same. his is done by permitting the products of "combustion to pass from the distillin -chaml er alternately into the two stoves an utilizing the heat absorbed by the refractory material in the stove.

The operation is therefore as follows: Oil is first burned in the combustion-chamber 3,

the air being supplied throu h a passage 9 from one of the stoves 7. combustion ass up throu h the distillingchamber 1, eating the re ractory material therein, and escape at the top by the passage 4 and downwardly-extending flue 6 to the opposite stove 7 and then up through said stove and out at the smoke-stack 11. Combustion is continued until the refractory material in the distilling-chamber is sulliciently heated for the purpose desired. The

e products of valves 5 and 10 are now closed and plil is ad; mitted by the oil-supply pi e 15 at t e top 0 the distilling-chamber. The heat of the refractory material in the distilling-chamber is and passes up the vertical fiues 19, being The cooled by the water around said flues. condensible portion of the va ors is thereby condensed anddro s to the b chamber, escaping y the overflow-pipe 22 into the receptacle 23. The uncondensed vapor, including the fixed gas, flows by the conduit 24 to the second condenser 25, where further condensation takes place and the condensible ortions are substantially eliminated, and thence by the conduit 26 to the washer 27 at the bottom of the scrubber 28. The gas flows up through the scrubber, being cleansed thereby, and thence escapes by the outlet 29 to the gas-holder. The water used for scrubbing and the impurities of the gas are drawn off by the pipe 30 ,to the receptacle 31. When the temperature of the refractory material in the distilling-chamber has fallen too low for the desired purpose, the oil-inlet pipe 15 is closed and said refractory material is again heated u For this urpose the air which is used to uni the fueihs now passed down through the opposite stove 7nam :ly, that of which the refractory material was heatedby the products ofv combustion in the previous step. This heated air is admittedy the passage 9, the valve 10, having been opened, supp a'hot blast for supporting yinlg combustion in t e step of reheating. Theproducts of combustion pass upward through the distilling-chamber, heating the refractory material therein, then out at the opposite side through the passage 4-and downwardlyextending fiue 6. to the other stove 7, passing upward therein and heating the refractory material in this stove. When the refractory material in the distilling-chamber has been sufficiently heated, the valves -5 and 10 are closed-and the oil-inlet pi e is opened, discharging oil into said disti ing-chamber, the step of refining or distilling the oil then being repeated. In each step of heating up the distilling-chamber the irections from which the air is obtained and toward which the products of combustion pass are reversed by suitably operating the valves 5 10 12 14. A

The liquid roducts of the condensingchambers consist of pure tari'y or asphaltic ottom of the matter, unmixed with water, and therefore constituting a valuable commercial product. The residues collected at the bottom of the scrubber, on the other hand, having been mixed with water are not so valuable.

I claim 1. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a distilling-chamber, loosely-piled refractory material therein, means for passing productsof combustion in one direction through said loosely-piled refractory material, a' closure for said assage, means for passing'oil in the opposite ection through said. loosely-piled refractory material, means for condensing the condensible portion of the gases so distilled in said distillingchamber, means for collecting said condensible portion, and means for separately collecting'the uncondensible gases, substantially as described.

2.- In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a distilling-chamber having loosely-piled refractory material therein, means for passing products of combustion through said loosely-piled refractory material to heat the same, means for storing the residual heat of combustion, a closure for said passage, means for passing oil through said loosely-piled refractory material to distill the same, means for condensing the conthe liquids so condensed, means for sepa-' rately collecting the uncondensed gases, and means for utilizing the stored heat to reheat the refractory material, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of-a distilling-chamber. having loosely-piled refractory material therein,.means for passing products of com.- bustion in one direction through said looselypiled refractory material to heat .the same-,- means for storing the residual heat of come bustion, a closure for said passage, means for 'assing oil through said loosely-piled reactory material in the o posite direction to distill the same, means or condensin the condensible portion of thevapor and co lecting the liquids so condensed, means for separately collecting the uncondensed gases, and means for utilizing the stored heat to re-, heat the refractory material, substantially as described. 4

. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the-presence of two subscribing witnesses.

,L. P. LOWE. I

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